Former President Donald Trump has fiercely criticized President Biden's Oval Office address on his decision to end his 2024 re-election campaign, calling it a "terrible" speech and alleging that Democrats forced Biden out due to his low poll numbers.
Former President Donald Trump has launched a blistering attack on President Biden's Oval Office address on his exit from the 2024 presidential race, accusing Democrats of staging a "coup" against the president.
Speaking on "Fox & Friends" Thursday, Trump argued that Biden's speech on Wednesday night left more questions than answers about the abrupt end of his presidential campaign.
Trump Denounces Biden's Oval Office Address as a "Coup," Accuses Democrats of Orchestrating President's Exit
"I think it was a coup. They didn't want him running. He was way down in the polls, and they thought he was going to lose," Trump said.
Trump claimed that Democrats approached Biden and told him he could not win the race unless he "did something very foolish," which he believed Biden was not willing to do.
Trump Denounces Biden's Oval Office Address as a "Coup," Accuses Democrats of Orchestrating President's Exit
"They went to him and they said, you can't win the race, which I think is true, unless I did something very foolish, which I wasn't going to do, and I think he was so far down and they said, 'You're not going to win, and you're not in great shape, and you did poorly in the debate.' I think the debate started everything."
Trump also asserted that he knows "a lot of people on the other side" who claim to have been involved in forcing Biden out, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former President Barack Obama.
Trump Denounces Biden's Oval Office Address as a "Coup," Accuses Democrats of Orchestrating President's Exit
"They went, and they forced him out between Pelosi and Obama and some others that you see on television. It was interesting," he said. "I'd watch them on television and they act so nice. ‘Oh, yes, we loved you. We loved you behind the scenes.’ I know for a fact they were brutal."
In his Oval Office address, Biden announced that he was passing the torch to "a new generation" and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in her campaign for the Democratic nomination.
Trump dismissed Biden's speech as "terrible," claiming that Biden appeared to be struggling and that the positive coverage he received from some media outlets was "fake."
"It was like a terrible speech and terrible delivery," Trump said. "He looked like he was having problems, and yet you watch the other networks and you would think he was Ronald Reagan in his prime, Winston Churchill in his prime, and he wasn't. It was not good… It was not a good speech."
"It's so phony what's going on," he continued. "The press is so – it's so fake. Anybody can see it was a problem."
Trump's comments come as he has repeatedly suggested that he may run for president again in 2024. He has recently stepped up his attacks on Biden and other Democrats, accusing them of incompetence and corruption.
It remains to be seen whether Trump will ultimately decide to enter the race, but his recent statements make it clear that he is closely monitoring the political landscape and considering his options.
